Kenilworth author's debut novel is longlisted for Guardian's Not The Booker Prize

Penny Batchelor had My Perfect Sister published by RedDoor Press during lockdown and only got to see the novel on a shop shelf when she went into Kenilworth Books recently.

My Perfect Sister is a domestic noir thriller set in Yorkshire.

It covers the mystery surrounding a woman's sister who has been missing since 1989.

Now aged 30, Annie returns to her family home to care for her mother and unearths now evidence which points to the reason behind her sister Gemma's disappearance.

Penny, who published the novel under her maiden name and whose married surname is Jenkins, said: "It was fabulous to finally see my novel in a bookshop and I'm over the moon for it to be longlisted for Not The Booker Prize.

"Kenilworth residents' votes would be much appreciated."

"My Perfect Sister is available in ebook and paperback.

"Kenilworth Books has been extremely supportive.

"Sadly my launch event in their bookshop was cancelled because of Covid-19 but I hope to hold an author event there when life gets back to normal."

Penny, a former student of English and European literature at Warwick University, is an alumna of the Faber Academy online Writing a Novel course.

She is a freelance journalist, a former BBC content producer and website editor for various educational institutions, and has lived in Kenilworth for ten years.

Her journalism has appeared in numerous publications including The Knitter, Vintage Life, Mollie Makes, Travel Africa, The Simple Things and Pretty Nostalgic magazines and BBC Ouch!, money magpie.com, welovethisbook.com and The University of Warwick's Knowledge Centre websites.

She is the editor of her award-winning knitting blog A Woolly Yarn, which is now solelybased on Facebook and Instagram.

For more information about penny and her debut novel visit http://www.pennybatchelor.co.uk or to vote for Penny in the Not The Booker Prize competition visit https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/aug/03/not-the-booker-prize-longlist-vote-now-to-decide-the-2020-shortlist